Clare's First Thanksgiving

This was the first year in 4 years that I traveled to Burlington for Thanksgiving.  Joe and I had decided previously that it was going to be the holiday we spent at home.  But seeing as Joe wasn't here and it was Clare's first Thanksgiving, I thought, what the heck, let's go!
I wasn't feeling too well prior to leaving and ended up with a horrible sore throat and some coughing. Thankfully, I got some good rest while we were there thanks to Nonna and Papa.

Clare was so excited to see Nonna and Papa! Nonna even made her a warm blanket to cuddle with....pink, of course!

Papa got to snuggle several times with Clarebear during our trip as she drank her bottles. He LOVED it! And so did she :) Of course, she enjoyed turkey and mashed potatoes as well.

We got to see Mel and the girls, Roz and Mahari. Roz was born only 7 hours after Clare was. It's neat to see how she is growing and developing right along with Clare.

We made our way to the lighted Holiday Parade downtown. It wasn't too cold and Clare did great. She enjoyed the lights and the music.

We got back home with enough time to get some energy out before bedtime. I had to change Clare's shirt and give her a bib because she was Super Drooler! It was soaked again within an hour. (I'm 99.9% sure she's teething again- #7's on the way!)



First and Last for a bit...

So, as I sit down using some free wi-fi, at the local mall down here in the southern Mississippi town of Hattiesburg, I'm suprised at the fact that this is my first blog of the deployment.

In my last go 'round to Iraq it seemed that I couldn't shut up, or maybe it was because I didn't have as much to do, or responsibilities to take care of...hmmm..!

Well let me start off by saying that I send my deepest love and appreciation to all of you out there, friends, family, and anyone else happening upon our family page and reading any of our endearing words of affection and events in our life.

It's kinda goofy that this is the only way to get online and gain access to the internet is by going to a wi-fi hotspot. I'll essentially have a better connection to the outside world as soon as I eventually get to Afghanistan....or hopefuly that is.

So far in our adventure that has included Camp Shelby, MS, FT. Irwin, CA, and back to lovely Mississippi...we've been issued the newest and coolest uniforms the U.S.Army has to offer, along with some pretty rocking gear. We'll see how handy it really is once we put it to the test here soon.

My platoon of guys are trained, restless, and ready to get our job done and come home already. This is by far the longest mobilization process that I've ever gone thru to date. They are a goofy bunch of guys that like to work hard, and play even harder. I'll have my hands full this year just trying to corral them all. Soon enough we'll have our task at hand and we'll let them loose on the Afghani populace.

I plan on posting some other pictues, prolly of the places that I've laid my head and called home for the last 3 months or so, but for now I leave you with this.

"I am a soldier, I fight where I am told and I win where I fight."

General George S. Patton Jr.

Love You All!!! Hope to hear from you soon!

Our time with Joey...

Well, many have asked, "How was your time with Joe?" and to be honest, it was rough. With only 3 days together, it was hard to say hello knowing that goodbye was looming. But it was good to see Joe before he left and it was good that he got to see Clare and she got to play with her daddy.

Yeah, I know this man. He's my daddy!

Taking a dip in the pool

This picture was so cute, I had to post it.

Feeling the sand between our toes.

She was a bit afraid of the water at first, but quickly got used to it.

Just a neat picture.

Clare traveled very well. I was so pleased with her and how fun and easy-going she was on the plane. I am proud of how I packed her diaper bag so well for the trip and was able to access everything I needed, when I needed it for her. It gives me much confidence to travel with her again!

Care Package Info

UPDATE: Joe will be leaving the country within the next few weeks. Not exactly sure of the date, but please continue to pray for him and his guys. Here is his mailing address for when he is in country. I've also attached a listing of items that are appropriate for care packages if you want to send something to him. Also, I will be posting pics of our weekend with Joe later on. Just thought I'd share this info first.

Joseph Whalen
832 EN CO 2-34 IBCT
Bagram Airfield
APO AE 09354


This list (provided by the Family Readiness Group) is categorized with Hy-Vee aisle numbers, but you can shop wherever:
Produce area – Seneca apple/ banana chips, natural nuts, pretzel crisp snack bags, Good Sense nuts and snacks.

Aisle TWO- Small juice boxes, snack puddings, snack size fruits, applesauces, V-8 juice boxes

Aisle THREE- Individual deviled ham, roast beef, sausages; Spam; Pull top sardine cans; Lunches to go, small cans of tuna, ramen noodles.

Aisle FOUR- Hot cocoas, specialty cocoas, cider packets, individual coffees-reg and flavored,

Teas, individual peanut butter cups, entire area of the breakfast bars and granola bars including pop tarts (Gen Petraus’s favorite)

Aisle FIVE- Nuts, rice cakes, Equal, Splenda, Sweet&Low, raisins, Ocean Spray bag fruit, Sunset prunes, dried fruits, Jerky

Aisle SIX- Nut snacks, Crackers-(especially individual packets), cookies-not melty, trail mixes,Cheese spreads-small containers, chips-individual bags, small jars of salsa

Aisle Seven- Hard candy they can suck on, fruit roll ups/snacks, flavored waters-especially individual packets,

Aisle EIGHT – Softener sheets, Purex 3 in l packets, clean wipes. NO LARGE CONTAINERS OF CLOTHING LIQUIDS OR POWDERS.

Aisle NINE- Small pckts Kleenex, Re-nuzit air fresheners, hand soap, small paper plates, plastic silverware, long shoestrings, zip lock bags, duct tape, package tape, gum

Aisle TEN- baby wipes preferably not in bulk but more individual plastic containers, baby powder, asst’d cards

HEALTH/BEAUTY AREA- magazines, paperback books, crossword puzzle books, vitamins, Deodorants, travel size toothpaste, nail care items, energy bars, power bars, aspirins, hair care-travel size, foot care, antibiotic ointments, Band-Aids, eye fresheners/drops, lip balms, carmex, throat lozenge’s, antacids, stool softeners, pepto bismal, mailing envelopes all sizes, pens, tape, pocket size notebooks,

Customer Service area- batteries of all kind

NOTE: These items will not be allowed for shipment: Items that are perishable within a short time, canned items that are not pull top, no large glass containers, items that need refrigeration or micro waved, no pop, no aerosols or large containers of anything. Soldiers really appreciate individual care package items.

The families of the 832nd National Guard FRG and their soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan extend their sincere appreciation for your support today.